Foot-measurer



E. L. HINE.

FOOT MEASURE APPLICATIONHLED JULY 21.1918.

1,359,375. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

RIGHT FOOT LEFT FOOT RI PTION UNITED STATES.

EFIRD L nine, or WINSTON-SALEM, NORTHCAROLINA.

roo'r-MEAsUnEn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented Nov. 16, 192.0.

Application fi led July 27, 1918. Serial No. 247,077.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EFIRD L. HINE, a citizen of the United States/residing at WVinston-Salem, in the county of Forsyth and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot- Measurers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyin drawing.

This invention relates to means of deter mining the proper size, bothas to length and width, of footwear for persons whose feet are being fitted, and of providing a record of the proper size determined in individual cases, in order that such record may be available later when footwear again is to be obtained. I The invention provides for this purpose an article having scales to indicate -the proper size of shoes for feet outlined or imposed thereon, and in the embodiment shown the article is in the form of a chart on a sheet of paper; or other suitable fabric.

' One ob ect of the invention is to arrange the width-indicating scales in such manner that compensation is made for feet of different length, in order that the correct width will be indicated in the cases of feet of long, short, and intermediate lengths, and thus obviate the necessity of providing different sets of width-indications for different classes of feet.

Another obiect of the invention is'to provide means whereby, for the purpose of determining proper length of shoes or other footwear, the distance between the heel and the ball of the foot (that is, the length'of the arch) may be ascertained, because, in order to fit a given foot comfortably, the footwear must have the correct length of arch; The length of arch in different feet is not in the same proportion as the difference in the over-all length of feet. Y

When read in connection with the description herein,'the characteristics of the inven tion will be apparent from the accompanyingdrawing, forming part hereof, wherein an embodiment of the invention in the form of a chart on a sheet of fabric is disclosed, for purposes of illustration; and of which Figure l is a plan view of the sheet orv chart; and

Fig. 2 is a view of such a sheet or chart in an article of the character in which it may be used advantageously.

The sheet or chart is rectangular in shape,

.and it comprises an upper portion A and a main or lower portion'B, the two portions being divided by a line of perforations c. t facilitate their beingseparated.

. The-upper portion A contains a blank form adapted to have recorded thereon the name, address, etc, of the individual whose foot is measured, the size and other characteristics of the footwear determined as suitable for .him, and other data pertaining to the case, and this portion is intended to be torn fromthe other or main portion and retained by the dealer for use when footwear again is ordered by the person'whose record it contains. I The lower portion B of the sheet contains the scales for use in determining size of footwear. In the embodiment shown,-the side margins or edges are the demarcations from which the width measurements are taken; but, if desired 1n the disposition of the scales, otherdemarcations may be used as the basis from which measurements are made, as, for example, vertical lines d near the side margins of the'sheet.

The portion B has thereon an over-all length scale '6 of equally-spaced parallel lines 7" extending across the sheet at substantially right angles to the side demarcations. These lines are spaced one-sixth of an inch apart (one-third of an inch is the difference in length between whole sizes of footwear), and they constitute a standardized scale such as commonly is used by manufacturers and dealers in footwear tomeasure the total length of a foot. Alternate lines of the scale are designated by series of numerals l to 13, inclusive, to indicate the length of a foot from heel to toe. The upper edge of the portion A is-the demarcation from which such a measurement is taken in the embodiment shown, but, if desired, the scale may be based on some other demarcation,

- as, for example, an upper transverse line 9.

This scale'is placed on the sheet merely'as a matter of convenience, and it is not essential scale 71 adapted to measure the width of a foot when the rear limit of the heel is placed against or in line with'the upper demarcation and one side is placed against or in line with the side demarcation nearer to the place of commencement of the set of lines at the top, the set of lines commencing at the top near the left demarcation being to measure the right foot and the other set the left foot. The lines in each set are designated consecutively from 0000 to 7 to indicate the widths of footwear to which the lines pertain, the numeral 1, for example,

. q indicating a width A, 0 a width .AAZ

and 2 a'width B, as is common in the trade,

The inclination or angularity of the widthscales with respect to the demarcations from wh ch measurements are taken is to calibrate them to different lengths of feet thatmay be imposed on the article, this being necessary for the reason that the standard width designations of footwear vary about in accordance with variation in length. Thus, for example, a width 13 is not the same in all lengths, and scale-lines disposed in parallel relation to a demarcation from which measurements are taken would not indicate the correct width designations for all sizes of footwear. Therefore, the inclination or angularity of the scale-lines is just such as to converge them toward the demarcations in the proportion that widths identified with established designations vary from the larger to the smaller sizes of foot wear.

In the center of the sheet there is'a ver- -ical scale 7', which uses the lines f of the overall-length scale as a basis of measure, and in which alternate lines'are designated by series of numerals from 1 to 13, inclusive. This scale is for use in measuring the length of the arch of a foot, and it is calibrated to show from such measurement the length of footwear required. It is required for the proper fitting of footwear, as a foot to be fitted comfortably should have footwear of the correct length from the heel to the ball of the foot. The length of arch of different 'feet is not in the same proportion as the difference in the over-all length of feet. For example, the length of one foot might measure 7 by scale 6, and the arch might measure 9, whereas the foot of another person of the same over-all length might have an arch that would measure 9%,10, or even 11.

In use, one of the sheets is placed in a box or other suitable holder K, such as shown by is measured from the Fig. 2, or a number of sheets may be placed 7 against which one of the side margins of the sheet lies, the right foot being placed over the left side and the left foot over theright side portion ofthe sheet. Then an outline of the foot is inscribedon the sheet by moving a pencil or other inscribingarticle in vertical 5 position around and in contact with the foot. A dot is made at the joint of the great toeat that place because it usually is at the widest point of a foot. That point is of importance, also, because the length of the arch a joint of the great toe to the heel. 7

In order to illustrate the 'method in which a sheet or article of the characteristics disclosed is employed, an outline of a foot is shown on the sheet constituting Fig. 1 of the drawing, the position ,of the joint ,of the great toe being indicated by a dot Z. The position of the dot indicates thatthe foot outlined requires a width B. of shoe or other footwear (as the outline of the foot intersects line 2 ofthe width-scale at the dot), that the length of the arch is 7 .(as the dot is on line 7 of the arch-length scale),

and that the 'footrequires a size 7 shoe or a shoe having an arch of that length.

Having thus described'my invention, what I claim as new, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is V In an article for measuring feet having an end'demarcation and a side demarcation arranged to have the rear limits and a side of a foot respectively placed at the lines there of, a measuring-chart on said article having a width scale comprising substantially parallel lines inclined with respect to said side demarcation, and having also scalemarkings spaced in accordance with the length of a foot-arch from'said end demarcation and numbered to show. thereby the length of footwear required.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- EFIRD L. 'I-IINII. 

